Shampoo cabinet combination



15, 19460 J. H. QWER A J SHAMPOO CABINET COMBINATION Filed July 26, 1943 Patented Oct. 15, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- SHAM100 CABINET COMBINATION John Henry Bower, Burlingame, Calif.

Application July 26, 1943, Serial No. 496,226

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to the Patent Ofiice class of Supports, cabinet structures, and especially to the sub-classes Room corner type, Knockdown type and With compartments, with,

drains; and inasmuch as it is intended primarly for use of shampoo operators, I choose to give it the title, shampoo cabinet combination; though it is useful for purposes other than shampoomg.

One object of this invention is to provide an improved form of shampoo-supporting unit that includes a lavatory and is adapted to fit snugly in a rectangular corner of a room or in angular niches between closets of the main combination; and that also includes wall-separated shelves for respectively holding various materials and utensils in positions for convenient access and ready use of shampoo operators on the heads of customers whose necks are seated in forwardly projecting seats therefor; also to provide such supporting unit with walls having inwardly curved upper edges for preventing water or other liquid from slopping over these walls from the basin in which the patients or customers heads are being shampooed or otherwise treated.

Another object is to provide, in combination with a shampoo-supporting unit or units such as briefly described, conveniently accessible closets for supporting and storing various materials and utensils for various uses or kinds of treatment of hair and scalp, according to the various conditions and requirements; also for storage of operating garments, etc., of the respective operators in an establishment wherein my combined devices are grouped around a central water-supply and water-disposal means such as will presently be described.

Another object of this invention is to provide a radial assemblage (one wherein the water-pipesupport is the central or radiating point) in which the water-pipes serve, in addition to their primary functions, as means to secure or assist in securing the shampoo-supporting units, or supports for water, other materials and'implements, in their respective positions, and thereby cooperating to prevent lateral movements of the several closets from their normal positions, viz., positions in which they have their median planes disposed along radii from the central point in the water-pipe-support.

A further object is to provide, in an assemblage as just above described, at least three sub-combination which are easily disconnected and separated and which are individually useful when fitted in different corners of a room and prop- 2 erly connected with pipes for supplying and discharging water or other fluid.

Other objects and important features are pointed out or implied in the following details of description, in connection with the accompany ing drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a top-plan view showing one of my improved shampoo-supporting unitsfitted in a corner or niche between two closets or wardrobes, and an upright tubular support and outlet for water-pipes disposed in an opposite niche at-rear of the two closets.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of one of the shampoosupporting units fitted against one of the storage closets or wardrobes, the upwardly inclined arrows indicating the proper direction .of movement to. properly fit this sub-combination onto that shown in Fig. 1 so as to provide a two-basin three-closet assemblage serviced by a single tubular support for water-pipes, and adapted to be seated against a plane wall, as if the spacebee tween these adjoined assemblages andFigs- 3 and 4 represent or contains such wall. .Fig..3.is.a View of the same elements shown in Fig. 2, but these elements transposed to opposite sides,- a

portion of the closet being broken off to gain,

necessary clear space, the upwardly inclined arrows showing the direction of movement necessary to properly position this sub-assemblage against that of Fig. 1 in the operation of forming the complete radial or circular assemblage wherein the vertical water-supply pipe is thecentral element or axis.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of one of the shampoounits for supporting water, other shampoo materials, implements for use in shampooing, etc., and the head and neck of aperson who is being operated on, the arrow showing the direction of movement nececssary to fit the unit into the angular niche between adjacent closets in Figs. 2 and 3. j

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional View taken along the line 55 of Fig. 1, parts being broken out to conserve space, and additional elements being shown at upper-left.

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the unit shown in Fig. 4 and of a supporting unit or base there under, which supporting unit constitutes a 'storage cabinet or closet whose upper end is horizontally substantially coextensive with the lower end of the unit supported thereby. Y

Fig. 8 is a top plan view of a modified form of tubular support, and a modified arrangement of water-supply pipes therein and extending therefrom. r

Fig. '7 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 1-1 of Fig. 2, showing more clearly the inwardly curved upper edges of the relatively low walls that connect the neck-rest to the high rear wall.

Referring to these drawings in detail, and first, to Fig. 4, it is seen that this is an integral unit which may be of any appropriate material or combination of materials, for instance, enameled cast-iron,- ceramic material or plastic material molded or otherwise formed. Its component and combined elements are two relatively high rear walls III that are formed with outwardly turned flanges Illa that are merged in a wide rectangular horizontal cover Iilb over a space that receives a part of the drain or overflow pipe and may receive a greater part of the water-supply pipe than is shown in Fig. 5; this cover being substantially rectangular; in other words, the wall It and this cover being combined to form a substantially rectangular part that is adapted to be closely fitted into a corner of an ordinary room or into an angular niche such as described in the foregoing. A basin II has its deeper and major portion portion disposed between the rearwardly converging right and left portions of the wall It], while an upwardly and forwardly inclined bottom-portion I la of this basin is forwardly converging and terminates in a neck-support I Ib which is upwardly concaved and adapted to receive large necks or to receive suitable padding (not shown) to prevent leakage past small necks of persons whose respective heads are partly over the deep part of the basin and partly resting on the inclined part I Ia; and it should be noted that this relatively narrow front end of the basin projects considerably in front of all other elements of the shampoo-unit, thereby disposing the head of the customer or patient near the shampoo operator who stands to right or left of the forwardly protruding portion. Two level shelves I2 are at opposite sides of the basin and united with the upper parts or side-walls of the basin. Two relatively low front walls I3 have their rear ends united with the relatively high rear wall I and converge forwardly to the neck-rest I Ib where they terminate in unity with the neck-rest, their main intermediate parts extending across the respective shelves I2 in continuous unity with these shelves, and dividing them into separate supporting elements IZa and IZb, which latter are formed with retaining ridges I20, so that such articles as soap, comb, brush, sponge etc. will notslip therefrom, and the drainage and/or drippings from sponges, hands of of the operator etc., will not run therefrom, and can be sponged back into the basin or into any receptacle provided for refuse. Bottles and other containers of shampooing fluid etc. can be seated in the corners at the junctions of the walls IE! and l 3, there being supported not only in a convenient reach of the operator, but also protected by the angularly adj oined walls against being knocked off or overturned. A very important feature, to prevent water from slopping over the walls I3 is the provision of inwardly curved wall-top-flanges I 3a, best shown in Figs. 5 and '7, but indicated by dotted lines in each of the other figures except Fig. 8. If water rises to an excessive height and covers the shelves I2a while a patients or customers hair or head is being moved so water tends to slop over the walls I3, the curved-inward flanges Isa deflect the waves or ripples of water from an outward to an inward course, thus eliminating slop on the floor where the operator stands, and sav- 4 ing the time that would be required to mop or wipe up such slop.

Each one of the four shampoo-supporting units that includes the basin, answers to the description given in the preceding paragraph, and each one of such units is normally mounted on a supporting base like or similar to the one shown at I4 in Figs. 5 and 6, preferably a storage closet for storing and supporting materials and implements in convenient nearby location for ready access by a shampoo-operator when preparing to begin shampooing or treating any customer's or patients head.

In Figs. 2 and 3, a wardrobe or closet I5 is added to the combination, one of its lateral sides being adjoined to one of the rear wall-sections and being substantially vertically and horizontally coextensive with the adjoining rear wall-section and its base I4, so its top is substantially level with the top of the rear wall-section and is convenient as a support for various ornamental or useful articles which enhance the aesthetic and utilitarian values of this group, of shampoo devices;

but the main purpose of each wardrobe I5 is to support and protect garments and other valuables of the individual shampoo operators. while disposing such garments, etc.,'in very convenient'position for ready access of the respective shampoo operators immediately before or after each shampooing operation, or even during such operation. Each of these wardrobes is preferably a locker, though no lock is here shown. These wardrobes also serve to cooperate in keeping the shampooelements or units and closets I4 in their normal positions with respect to the support and outlet for water-supply and water-disposal pipes, as will presently become apparent.

In Fig. 1, there is added a second wardrobe or locker I5, one on each right and left side of the shampoo unit, two of their rear corners substantially meeting at the rear corner of the cover Ilib, while their rear sides diverge to form a niche in which the upright tubular support I6 extends. Because of the substantially right-angular shape of this group, it is adapted to be seated in a corner of a room where the Water-pipes are very near two meeting walls of the room, and there constitutes a complete combination for use by an operator and assistant-operator; or if the Waterpipes are several feet from the corner, and where the business justifies more than two operators and/or assistant-operators, the devices of either Fig. 201' Fig. 3 may be added to those of Fig. 1, as previously explained; or by adjoining all the devices in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, (as explained in connection with the arrows) provision is made for more operators and taking care of more shampoocustomers. Therefore, with these several combinations of shampoo accessories and conveniences, it can be both practical and profitable for starting with the combination of the unit and supporting base of Figs. 4 and 6 in one of the four corners of a comparatively small room; adding similar units respectively to other corners of the room as business increases; displacing such simple combinations (as Fig. 4) with more nearly complete ones such as in Figs. 2, 3 or 1; and finally, in the same small room, in the center thereof, assemble and combine all the devices shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4; thereby providing for eight shampoo operations simultaneously, in one comparatively small room.

a single upright water-supply pipe I! with a branch-pipe or section it will be sufficient when provided with a suitable faucet i9 (Fig. 5), and such faucet cooperates with the water-supply pipe-sections for holding the shampoo unit against the wardrobes when assembled in the radial arrangement wherein the center of the pipesection ll is the axis; so, it will be seen that these water-pipe sections cooperate with all the other elements of the assembly in securing them in their normal relation to one another. However where the simplest form of the invention is employed and the features or elements it to 19 are eliminated, a pipe section can be disposed mainly under the cover Iflb, having its upper-end bent laterally (horizontally) and extended thru the opening 20 so a faucet can be secured thereon.

Where it is desirable to supply both cold and hot water (or precisely tempered water) through the same faucet-nozzle, for each of the four shampoo-units a supply-pipe-arrangement such as shown in Fig, 8 may be employed in connection with any suitable form or type of mixing faucet (not shown) and for purpose of explanation, Ha corresponds to the pipe I! only in respect to its central or axial position and as supplying water only to a fountain-head 2! and bowl 22, as in Fig. 5; while separate upright pipe-sections 23 and 26 may be respectively connected to sources of hot and cold water respectively, so their distributing sections 25 and 25, being arranged in pairs that project in four horizontal directions through holes or outlets in the tubular support i611, each pair consisting of a section 25 and a section 26 which conduct hot water and cold water respectively; and when this type of Water-supply-means is used, there must be two openings 20a at opposite sides of where the opening at is seen in Fig. 6', and a mixing faucet is then applied to the pair of pipe-sections that project through these two openings, so the water can be mixed and tempered in the usual way before it flows into the adjacent basin.

Each basin is provided with a normally closed openable drain-opening or drain-pipe 2'! that extends down through an opening 28 in the top of the storage closet l4 and secures the latter in a fixed relation to the said shampoo-unit; and its stopper 29 can be lifted when draining is desired. Each basin is also provided with an overflow outlet or pipe 3%) that projects from the upper-rear part of the basin, through a hole in thevertical tubular support G6 or lBa and contributes to securing the elements It and E6 or IE0. in fixed relation to the respective shampoo units. The inner end of each overflow pipe is preferably somewhat flattened and fits in and is secured in a vertically disposed slot at 38 (Fig. 5), so the danger of this overflow becoming clogged or choked is minimized.

Referring again to the bowl 22, it will be seen that its bottom not only covers the tubular supports upper end. but also covers spaces 32 (Figs. 1 and 5) for excluding animals, insects and other objects from entering these spaces and the tubular support; and in addition to this utilitarian function, the bowl may be of any artistic form and may contain water-plants or other esthetic enhancement in addition to or in lieu of the fountain. Inasmuch as the top of the tubular support [6 fits in an annular recess in the bowls bottom, and the pipe I! is secured to said bottom, all these parts l6, ll, iii, are rigidified and stabilized and mutually contribute to stabilizing all other features of the entire assemblage so as to. provide a unified shampoo cabinet combination. Of course, any appropriat means (not shown) can be employed for regulating the flow of water into the bowl; and to prevent overflow over the top thereof, a pipe 33 extends up a suitable distance into the bowl, is secured to the latter properly to prevent leakage therearound, and extends thence down into the tubular support for discharging the overflow therethrough. It is also intended that the drain-outlet 2'? of each basin shall lead out from the closet l4 and into the upright tubular support; and it is within the scope of this invention to extend an electric conduit up through said tubular support and through said bowl 22, similar to the pipe 33, for carrying electric conductors and supporting one or more electric lamps in or over said bowl for illuminating the fountain and/or other esthetic enhancemerits.

Though I have specifically described these several embodiments of my invention, I hav no intention to limit my patent protection to these precise details of description and illustration, for the invention is susceptible of numerous changes within the scope of the inventive ideas as implied and claimed.

As one instance or example of such changes, I may have the walls 53 sloping toward the rear, as indicated by broken (dot-dash) lines on the wall is in Figs. 5 and 6, so these walls are about an inch lower at their rear ends than at their front ends, for greater convenience and for a more streamlined appearance. Moreover, it is within the scope of this invention to construct the tubular support l6 and/or Ilia in primarily separate parts that can be conveniently and easily separated when necessary for gaining access to any of the elements therein for cleaning, re-

.pair or replacement of such elements.

I claim the following as my invention:

1. In a compartmental shampoo-unit, the combination of two supporting shelves, a high rear wall that comprises two complemental rearwardly converging wall-sections whose lower portions are united respectively with said supporting shelves, a shampoo-basin between said shelves and having its top portions united with said shelves while its front portion is forwardly tapering and upwardly inclined and terminates in an upwardly concaved relatively narrow necksupport at a considerable distance in front of said shelves, and two relatively low rearwardly diverging walls having their front ends united with opposite sides of said concave relatively narrow neck-support while their rear ends are united respectively with said rearwardly converging wallsections of the rear wall and whil their intermediate portions are across and united with the respective shelves and divid the latter into compartments for separately holding and supporting various materials and implements in convenient positions for ready use of a shampoooperator when shampooing the head of a person whose neck is in said neck-support.

2. In the shampoo-unit defined by claim 1, said relatively low walls having their upper edges inwardly curved toward said basin for inwardly deflecting waves or ripples of liquid that tend to slop over said low walls from said basin.

JOHN HENRY BOWER. 

